Truist Park gave a hopeful cheer on Sunday afternoon as a wild pitch from Phillies’ reliever Matt Strahm rolled towards the bricks behind home plate. The Braves, who had been held to just one run up until that point, had the game-tying run 90 feet away in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The club’s only issue — the bottom of its order was due up at the plate.
In seasons past, the Braves would feel confident with any part of their lineup hitting in a key moment, since it was balanced. But in 2025, their offensive depth is lacking.
Look no further than who was scheduled to hit with the tying run at third base. The duo consisted of Stuart Fairchild and Luke Williams, who possessed a combined batting average of .172 with a .499 OPS.
Suffice to say the run did not score — although Fairchild put a good swing on the ball to hit a 373-foot flyout — and the Braves fell to the Phillies by a score of 2-1. The defeat dropped the team to 38-45 on the season, which is 10.5 games back in the division and eight games out of the National League’s final Wild Card spot.
The Braves are closer to the Marlins (one game) and Nationals (four games) in the division standings, who finished three of the last four seasons as the bottom two teams in the NL East, than they are the Mets and the Phillies.
“We’re still hanging in there,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I looked at where we are. We’re still giving ourselves a chance. We just need to continue to try and win series.”
The Braves scattered six hits across nine innings of Sunday’s series finale, but none came in impactful situations. The team finished 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position with only one extra-base hit — a solo home run from Sean Murphy, his second in as many days.
The lack of run support for a starting pitcher is a common theme for the Braves this season. The club scored less than four runs in seven of its last 10 games and is 4-6 in that span.
Spencer Strider was the latest victim, as he took the loss after limiting the Phillies two runs in seven innings.
“We played some really good baseball, and then we left a few games out there that I think we could have won,” Austin Riley said of the Braves ending their stretch of 13-straight games against division opponents with a 7-6 record. “You’ve got to capitalize on those moments. Strider kept us in the game today. Just couldn’t string some hits together to get things going offensively.”
There is no obvious fix to the Braves’ lineup, as most of their struggles were unexpected. Not many projected Ozzie Albies to be on-pace for the worst offensive season of his career with a .223 batting average and six home runs, and fewer predicted that Michael Harris II would be unproductive at the plate.
It also does not help the Braves that Marcell Ozuna, playing through a hip injury, is hitting .188 in the month of June, and multiple career-backups have been thrusted into starting roles.
But an offensive boost is on its way.
Jurickson Profar, who was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a banned substance, is eligible to make his return to the Braves’ lineup on Wednesday during their series with the Angels. The team’s big offseason signing is batting .326 with three home runs in 12 minor league games.
It is not often that one player ignites an offensive on his own, but Profar should at least add a little more length to the team’s lineup. Snitker said he expects to bat him in the middle of the order.
“One established guy that can lengthen your lineup can be a big deal,” Snitker said. “Especially, him being a switch hitter and the matchup thing — kind of take that out of the hands of the opposition.”
The Braves will begin their series with the Angels on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.
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